138th Field Artillery Brigade

This is the official webpage of the 138th FAB.

Constituted Jan. 21, 1839 in the Kentucky Militia as the Louisville Legion and organized at Louisville. The unit mustered into federal service May 17, 1846 as the first Kentucky Volunteer Infantry and mustered out of federal service May 17, 1847 at New Orleans, Louisiana. May 7, 1860 the unit reorganized in the Kentucky State Guard as the 1st Infantry Regiment (Louisville Legion) to consist of the Louisville Battalion and the Marion Rifle Battalion. 1st Infantry Regiment reorganized in July 1861 at Camp Joe Holt. Indiana, ‘with men of Union sympathy’ as the 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry (Louisville Legion). Sept. 9, 1861 the unit mustered into federal service as the 5th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry (Louisville Legion) and mustered out of federal service Sept. 14, 1864 at Louisville. Between 1864 and 1904 the unit reorganized three separate times to fit the changing needs of the unit.

The Kentucky State Guard re-designated March 19, 1912 as the Kentucky National Guard. Under the name change the unit was called into federal service June 18, 1916 for service on the Mexican border and mustered into federal service June 25, 1916 at Fort Thomas. From 1968 to 1969, Kentucky Thunder served a 12-month tour in the Vietnam War. The unit has participated in every major conflict to date since 1839. The unit’s campaign participation includes Mexican War, Monterey, Buena Vista, Civil War (Union service), Shiloh, Murfreesborough, Chickamauga, Atlanta, West Virginia 1861, Mississippi 1862, Kentucky 1862, Tennessee 1862, Louisiana 1862, Indiana 1863, Tennessee 1863, Kentucky 1864, South Carolina 1865, Civil War (Confederate service), Henry and Donelson, War with Spain, Puerto Rico, World War I, Streamer without inscription, World War II, New Guinea, Leyte (with arrowhead), Luzon, Ryukyus, Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead), Tunisia, Sicily (with arrowhead), Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead), Anzio (with arrowhead), Rome-Arno, Normandy, Northern France, Southern France (with arrowhead), Rhine Land, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, OEF and OIF. The unit headquarters is currently located in Lexington.

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138th FA BDE NEWS

Day Two: Ky. National Guard Activated to Help Protect Kentuckians safety and maintain peace
May 31, 2020 — At the request of Gov. Andy Beshear and the Louisville Metro Police Department the Kentucky National Guard will continue to provide support in and around Louisville to help provide safety and protection to residents... MORE

Kentucky Food Bank works with the Guard to provide to community
May 7, 2020 — Twelve Soldiers assigned to 138th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB), worked alongside the First Church of God at the host site of God’s Pantry Food Bank in Danville, Ky., to prepare and distribute 190 boxes of food for anyone in the local community who has been affected by COVID-19... MORE

Kentucky Brigade Training Officers lead the way
March 30, 2020 — As the Kentucky Guard celebrates Women's History Month and continue recognizing the contributions of our female Soldiers across the commonwealth, our female brigade training officers are showing what strong leadership looks like... MORE

Kentucky Guard Soldier Relishes in Unchartered Esports Arena
March 4, 2020 — When Sgt. 1st Class Paul England is not preparing Kentucky National Guard Soldiers for unknown battlefields overseas, he can often be found entertaining viewers on the virtual realm... MORE

Kentucky Air Guardsmen integrate into 138th Field Artillery Brigade to support NATO training exercise in Germany
March 22, 2018 — Groves recently found himself serving in a position he’d never served in before. He was attached to the 138th Field Artillery Brigade as an Air Liaison Officer during Dynamic Front 18, a multinational field artillery training exercise held in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Groves was the lone Airmen among a formation of more than 100 Kentucky Army National Guard Artillerymen... MORE

138th Completes Dynamic Front 18 NATO Training Exercise
March 19, 2018 — Those were the words of Lt. Col. Mike Woodson, training officer for the 138th Field Artillery Brigade, as he reflected on Dynamic Front 18. Soldiers of the 138th participated in the training exercise in Grafenwoehr, Germany. On Thursday, Brig. Gen. Scott Campbell visited the 138th to recognize the performance of the Soldiers who, when faced with a challenge, hit it head on and figured out the solution... MORE

Family Readiness Group Volunteers Honored at Keeneland
April 24, 2016 — With a combined service of 54 years, Heather Dollar, Patty Wininger, and Pam Feltner have dedicated themselves to supporting not only their families but the families of their National Guard units. Each volunteer had her own story, but together they told a powerful account of duty, honor, and family... MORE

Task Force Summit’s commander inducted into Order of Saint Barbara
January 5, 2015 — At the annual gathering of the 138th Field Artillery Brigade Dec. 13, 2014, officers and enlisted alike gathered at the Saint Barbara’s Military Ball to celebrate Christmas and the completion of yet another year’s worth of missions. Among those missions, few had more of an impact on the overall Army mission than that of the 103rd Brigade Support Battalion, 138th Field Artillery Brigade’s Task Force Summit, which returned home from Afghanistan in April of this year. The unit spent nine months overseas supporting the Special Operations Command’s withdrawal and relocation of mission-critical equipment as Operation Enduring Freedom came to a close... MORE

Kentucky Guardsmen help secure Valhalla for 96th PGA
August 10, 2014 — An estimated 55,000 spectators per day lined the course and filled makeshift parking lots with their vehicles for the week-long event. In order to secure the club property and the surrounding streets, Louisville Metro Police Department requested the assistance of the Kentucky National Guard... MORE

103rd Brigade Support Battalion Headquarters gets new leadership
March 8, 2014 — Capt. Douglas Curdie took command of the Kentucky Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters’ Company, 103rd Brigade Support Battalion, 138th Fires Brigade, March 8, 2014, at a small ceremony in Harrodsburg, Ky. Curdie, a former Marine and current guardsman residing in Barbourville, Ky., assumed Command from Capt. Anthony Travis of Elizabethtown, Ky. Travis commanded the 103rd Headquarters for a period of 29 months, a time in which the 103rd earned the distinction of being recognized by the Department of the Army as the finest brigade support battalion in the entire Army National Guard... MORE

138th FA BDE Organization

138th Field Artillery Brigade (Lexington)

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2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery (Lexington)
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1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery HIMARS (Glasgow)

103rd Brigade Support Battalion (Harrodsburg)
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138th Field Artillery Brigade

138th FA BDE NEWS

138th FA BDE Organization

138th Field Artillery Brigade (Lexington)

Kentucky National Guard Links